16/01/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
During the 19th Istanbul Pride March, the court acquitted Bülent Kılıç who tried to prevent the police attack against journalists.
During the 19th Istanbul Pride March, Bülent Kılıç was charged with ‘resisting to prevent the police attack against journalists’ and ‘insulting a public official’.
The fourth hearing of the lawsuit filed against Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Bülent Kılıç due to ‘resisting to prevent the execution of duty’ and ‘publicly insulting a public officer because of duty’ while covering the 19th Istanbul Pride March was held today at Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Media and Law Studies Association's Case Tracking Unit followed the case.
According to MLSA Dava Takip's X account, photojournalist Bülent Kılıç did not attend the hearing of the lawsuit in which two police officers were the complainants, while lawyer Hazal Sümeli was present.
The prosecutor declared final opinion on the case and demanded the acquittal of Bülent Kılıç. After lawyer Sümeli stated that they agreed with the final opinion, the court adjourned the hearing.
After the recess, the court acquitted Bülent Kılıç.
What happened?
On 26 June 2021, AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılıç was detained by the police while covering the 19th Pride Parade in Istanbul on 26 June 2021.
Following the incident, lawyers of MLSA Legal Unit filed a criminal complaint against two identified police officers on 4 August 2021 on the charges of ‘damage to property’ and ‘simple injury by exceeding the limit of authority to use force’. MLSA also filed a lawsuit for compensation on behalf of Kılıç. Istanbul 8th Administrative Court ruled that the police officers who intervened against the journalist ‘used disproportionate force’ and ordered Kılıç to pay 30,95 TL 58 kuruş in compensation.
Prosecutor Aysel Daşkıran disregarded the administrative court's ruling that ‘disproportionate force was used’ and the criminal complaint against the police officers ended in non-prosecution. The prosecutor, who concluded that the police officers had not exceeded their authority to use force as defined in the Law on the Duties and Powers of the Police No. 2559, decided on 16 March 2023 not to prosecute the police officers. Kılıç's lawyers objected to the decision, but Istanbul 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace rejected this objection with its decision dated 14 April 2023.
The same prosecutor issued an indictment against journalist Kılıç on charges of ‘resisting to prevent the execution of duty’ and ‘publicly insulting a public officer because of duty’ on the same day that he issued the non-prosecution decision. The indictment was accepted by the Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance.
In the first hearing held on 26 October 2023, it was revealed in the testimony of the police witness that the police officers had signed the report without seeing it.
Tags: human rights, media
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